Another month has slipped by! In the early part of October,
Kate and I were in Scotland where we enjoyed a stained glass weekend in
Glasgow followed by a visit to Edinburgh which included viewing a number
of art exhibitions, a guided tour of the Royal Mile and some more stained
glass. Towards the end of the month we were invited to stay with friends
in Antibes in the south of France for a few days – a very pleasant
way to relax and enjoy a little autumn sunshine. In between there has
been time for family history and, in particular, meeting up with DGS members
visiting from overseas. Cecelia Lange and her husband Jerry from Arvada,
near Denver in Colorado, USA were in England busy with family history
research, and we spent an enjoyable day when they visited us here in Reigate.
We had last seen them at the Salt Lake City Gathering in September 2011,
and at their home whilst on our travels following the Gathering. And then
we were contacted by Robyn Dalton, who lives near Sydney, Australia and
was visiting London again. Robyn is the widow of my fourth cousin, Vernon
Dalton, who died in 2010. She was last here only a year ago and we saw
her then, but there was still much to catch up on when we met for lunch
this time. It is always good to meet up with members of the DGS –
so, if you are coming to England, do get in touch and we will arrange
to get together if we can!

As usual, you will find below all the latest news about
DGS events and activities, together with other updates to keep you fully
informed about what we are doing.

Future DGS events

For the 2013 Gathering and AGM we are returning
to Ireland. We will be based in Dublin, as we were in 2005, and
the event will take place over the weekend of Fri/Sat/Sun 26th/27th/28th
July 2013. It is planned that we will stay at the Ashling Hotel,
where we were accommodated in 2005. Since then the hotel has been considerably
refurbished and I am confident that we will be very well looked after.
You can see more about the Ashling Hotel on their website at www.ashlinghotel.ie.
Ciaran Dalton, our Irish Secretary and Chieftain of Clan Dalton, and I
are now working to put a detailed programme together, and we will
be concentrating on Dalton families with Irish ancestry. I am
visiting Dublin in November and further details about the Gathering will
be provided on this website in December, and in Volume 57 of the DGS Journal
when it is published at the end of the year. In the meantime please reserve
the dates in your diary. We will hope to see many DGS members there and
particularly those with Irish Dalton ancestry.

As announced at the Annual General Meeting, plans
are now being made for 2014 and 2015 with the Burgundy
area of France and Virginia, USA as the suggested
locations. It has also been proposed that we return to South Wales,
UK, maybe in 2016. The DGS committee is actively taking these
plans forward and we will be making further more detailed announcements
in the coming months about locations and dates. So watch this space!

And, as we like to plan ahead and explore other options
for our annual gathering events, if you have any particular thoughts about
where you might like to meet, or a particular Dalton theme you think we
should incorporate, we would really like to hear from you with your ideas.

The Dalton International DNA Project (DIDP)

Our DNA project continues to attract considerable interest
with a regular stream of enquiries about joining being received by myself
and Karen Dalton Preston as administrators of the project. In September
we published a DIDP Update and this can be found in the "Dalton
DNA Project" section of this website. Click
here. This includes an up to date list of genetic family coordinators
and details of the new reports that will appear towards the end of 2012.

We are indebted to Chris Pomery for all his assistance
with the project over the past six years, which includes the preparation
of three issues of the very comprehensive project progress report, and
most recently a series of six reports covering individual genetic families.
He has also given informative presentations at our annual gatherings on
several occasions. We now have some 180 participants in the project, including
three new recruits at the Yorkshire gathering, and well over 80% are members
of one of the 15 identified genetic families.

The DGS Journal

Volume 56 of the DGS Journal for June 2012 was
published and distributed back in July. As always this latest
volume of our award winning Journal contains much of interest and, if
you are not a DGS member, please think about joining the Society. This
will entitle you to receive the Journal regularly, and much more. Full
details are in the "Join the DGS" section of this website,
or just
click here.

The next issue of the Journal will be Volume
57 for December 2012. John Dalton, our Editor, always welcomes articles
and other items for publication in the Journal. Any material for publication
in Volume 57 should be sent to him as early as possible, and
no later than Friday 16 November, 2012. This will enable
John to plan the content of this and future issues. John is happy to advise
and assist contributors and, if you have any questions or need help, please
contact him by email at johndalton78@hotmail.com.

Back issues of the DGS Journal continue to be
available. On this website you can access the "DGS Journal
Index" from the homepage or by clicking
here. Here you will find a full synopsis of the contents
of the Journal of the Dalton Genealogical Society commencing with Volume
1 published back in 1970 through to Volume 41 published in December 2004.
Lists of contents are given for Volumes 42 to 56 and the full synopses
will be uploaded in due course. Copies of all back numbers are available
for purchase and these can be obtained through your local secretary using
the order form that you will find on the link above. Details of prices,
including postage and packing, will be found there as well.

We are most grateful to DGS member Mrs Pat Robinson,
who holds stocks of back numbers for the Society and arranges for their
distribution in response to requests from the local secretaries (address:
Mallards, 3 High Street, The Green, Barrington, Cambridge CB2 5QX, UK
email: gandprobinson@waitrose.com.)

Conclusion

Enjoy this month’s issue of "Daltons
in History", your regular monthly update on everything that
is happening in the world of Dalton family history. We will be back again
in December 2012.

Thank you for your attention

Yours very sincerely

Michael Neale Dalton
Chairman and Honorary Life President of the Dalton Genealogical Society

Here is the seventh instalment of the Dalton family
who were descended from John and Susannah Dalton of Ireland, based on
information given by Bill Dalton of Gig Harbour, Washington, USA with
additional information from the Editor.

PETER M. DALTON (1850 – 1936)

I decided this month to return to Ireland this time
to trace the life of Peter M. Dalton, who was the second son of John and
Susannah Dalton. I first wrote about the family in the April 2011 edition
of "Daltons in History" and in subsequent editions.

Peter Dalton was born in either May/November 1850 (according
to his death certificate 22nd May, 1850) at Duncormick, County Wexford,
Ireland. The rural village of Duncormick lies near the coast of the Bannow
Peninsula in the south of the county.

From the 1861 Census of Wales we know that the family
had moved across the Irish Sea and were living at 7 Club Row, Cwmdare,
Aberdare near the town of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. Peter was now
a scholar aged 10 living with his parents John and Susannah, elder brother
Robert and younger siblings Mary and John. As mentioned in a previous
"Daltons in History" the family were sharing the house
with another Irish family. The sharing of houses by different families
was very common at this time as wages were low.

A possible entry for a Peter Dalton has been found in
the 1871 Census of Wales. There is a Peter Dalton aged 19, recorded as
a visitor, living at the home of a William Drew at Alma Row, Nantyglo,
Aberstruth, Montgomeryshire, Wales. Although his age is recorded as
19 (therefore born 1852) and place of birth County Waterford in Ireland
instead of County Wexford, I feel that this entry should not be discarded.
It must be remembered that County Wexford is adjacent to County Waterford
in Ireland. If you also look at the births of the Drew family, the father
William was born in County Waterford and the Drew family had lived previously
in Aberdare and Aberamon where our Peter Dalton had lived and his family
have worked. The village of Nantyglo lies at the head of the Ebbw-fach
vale and was the terminus of the valley’s railway. At the time
of the census the area had extensive ironworks and coal mines nearby.
It also was linked by road to Cwmdare, which lay 20 miles to the west,
where the Dalton’s had previously lived.

By using information gleaned from the US Census it
can be seen that Peter Dalton moved to the USA in about 1875 (1900 Census).
Perhaps he was following his elder brother Robert J. Dalton, who had emigrated
to Pennsylvania USA sometime between 1871-2. During the 19th Century many
families moved west often the eldest son followed later by his younger
siblings.

In 1882 records have been found of Peter Dalton marrying
Elizabeth Mulligan in Pennsylvania USA. Elizabeth is recorded as being
born in February 1856 in Ireland and that she travelled to America in
1876 (1920 Census records say 1880).

In the 1890 US Census an entry has been found of
a Peter Dalton, born May 1850 in Ireland of Irish parents. The age was
given as 56 but this could have been a transcription error as he was actually
50 years of age. He was living in Mifflin Township, District 44,
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Mifflin was not far from where his elder
brother Robert was living. He had been married to Elizabeth for 18 years
and was a labourer owning his own mortgaged home. The Census also states
that he arrived in the USA, was a naturalised citizen and had been living
there for 25 years. The 1900 Census also contains information that the
family had had 9 children but only 3 were living. This information
was contradicted in an entry in the 1910 Census. The children were
listed as Margaret aged 13 born July 1886, Susan aged 10 born February
1890 and Elizabeth aged 8 March, 1892 all born in Pennsylvania. Living
with them were Peter and Joseph, the brothers of Elizabeth, Peter Dalton’s
wife, both were single and aged 28 and 26.

The Mifflin Township lies to the south east of Allegheny
County, only 8 miles from Pittsburgh. From http://munhallpa.us/history
I was able to find out that in the early 1890’s the Carnegie Land
Company purchased land in the area for the construction of homes for their
workers. The land was bought from the Munhall, McClure and Hayes families.
The Munhall bothers had already laid out a plan to sell lots to mill employees
and to construct houses for rent or purchase by workers in an area known
as Munhall Hollow. In 1901 the borough of Munhall was incorporated including
the Mifflin Township. The new borough was named after John Munhall and
covered an area of East Homestead, Munhall Station and the steel properties
owned by the United States Steel Corporation.

By the Census of 1910 the family were still living in
the Allegeny County of Pennsylvania but have now moved to the Munhall
Borough District 169. Peter and his family were living at 1048 Creek Road,
Munhall, Allegany. He was a 59 year old steel worker living in a rented
house with his wife of 27 years, Susannah. The latter was aged 54. Confusingly
the Census now says that only 4 children (against 9 in the 1900 Census)
were born to the family and of these 3 were still living. This anominaly
could have been due to an enumerator error. Daughters Margaret and
Elizabeth were still single living at home with their parents. The date
of Peter’s arrival in the USA was recorded as 1875 and as before
he was a naturalised citizen. Susan, the middle daughter has not been
recorded as present at the time of the Census. Munhall lies on the bank
of the Monongahela River. Its population in 1910 was only 5185 the steel
industry being the only employer.in the area.

Peter may then have been employed at the Homestead
Works of the Carnegie Steel Works, the latter I mentioned in the article
"A Family from the Past" in the June 2012 "Daltons in History"
edition.

In the succeeding 10 years Robert and Elizabeth continued
to live at Munhall but by the 1920 Census they had moved to 1048 Creek
Road where they can be found in their own home possibly renting out rooms
to the Mellars family. As in the 1910 Census his arrival in the US was
1875 and his naturalisation date was given as 1880. Elizabeth’s
arrival was 1880 and date of naturalisation 1884. Had the couple met
previous to their arrival in the US or did they meet in Pennsylvania?
Now Peter’s occupation is given as a hoist engineer working
for a builder. His unmarried daughter Margaret A. is working as a telegraph
operator.

The area the family lived in had continued to expand
and more information can be obtained from www.mifflintownship.org
the website of the Mifflin Township Historical Society.

Continuing the trail of Peter Dalton he next appears
on 16/17th April, 1930 in the Census taken at the home of his 43 year
old daughter Margaret A. Breen who was now living at New Harrisburg Slag,
Carroll, County Ohio. They were living on a farm worked by his daughter.
Peter was now 79 years and was widowed and retired.

The final documentary evidence was Peter Dalton’s
death certificate which stated that he was born on 22nd May, 1850 and
that he died on 5th June, 1936 at the Brown Township, Carroll County,
Ohio. He was a widower, not a veteran and had been employed as an engineer.
Death was due to arteriosclerosis. The informant was Mrs. Jos. Breen of
Malvern County who was apparently his daughter Margaret who had been married
to a Joseph Breen. Peter was interred 4 days later at Homestead, Pennsylvania
the area where the family had lived for many years.

Even though this was just a brief look at another
member of Bill’s family I hope it has given you a glimpse of familys
who travelled vast distances to find work and bring up their children.

From Maureen Collins, Australian and New Zealand
Secretary

The following might be of interest to Australian
members. I know there were a lot of Daltons involved in the First World
War and this might stir up some memories and/or curiosity:

Marking Remembrance Day with a quirky WWI discovery

The State Library of New South Wales recently uncovered a rare knitting
pattern for the iconic 'Grey
Sock', along with a knitting kit and oddly, some camel hair.
Wrap with Love volunteer Janet Burningham kindly knitted a pair of socks
from the pattern for our special Remembrance Day
display, which will also feature the diary Australian soldier Gunner
Pearce and a secret
trench map of Messines, Belgium, 1917, selected from the Library's
extensive WWI collection. On display from 9 November to 9 December 2012.

As I write, the North Eastern coast of the U.S. is
being bombarded by tropical storm "Sandy". I have family
and friends in the effected areas of New York and New Jersey, but am happy
to say that everyone seems to be fine. It seems like loss of electricity
is the only problem that our family members are experiencing, and we are
very thankful for that.

I hope that all of our many DGS members in the areas
effected by "Sandy" are all faring well, and are weathering
the storm and its aftermath without any serious problems.

Dalton Data Bank Update:

Once again, we can thank Mike Dalton in Oregon for some
new additions to the Dalton Data Bank databases. Mike has transcribed
the Land Patent (Homestead) records from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management
and has also added new records for Oklahoma, including records that date
back to the Oklahoma Indian Territory. This is the period before Oklahoma
Statehood.

The 2012 Hull Gathering Videos were viewed 64 times
during the month of October.

Hull Gathering - Video Visits

The Hull 2012 Gathering Photos and Presentations were
viewed a total of 102 times during the month of October.

Gathering Photos and Presentations

DDB Web Site Usage Statistics:

19,702 visitors came from 108 Countries / Territories

NB: All of the Google Advertising
Campaigns were modified to add India to the list of countries, hence the
dramatic increase for the number of visitors from India. This change will
be kept for the balance of 2012.

DDB Web Site Usage Statistics

Top 10 pages visited

Visits by date

Dalton Forum:

There are a total of 300 Posts in 188 Topics by 425 Members.

During the reporting period, there was 1 new topic added,
1 new post and 6 new members added.

DGS Web Site Usage Statistics:

1,201 Visits from 52 Countries / Territories.

DGS Web Site Usage Statistics

Top 10 pages visited

Visits by date

Google Ad Campaigns:

Dalton Data Bank Site:

26,205 Visitors reached the Data Bank by clicking on
one of the 2,546,922 Google Ads served during the reporting period.

Visits to the Dalton Databank

DGS UK Site:

28 Visitors reached the DGS UK Site by clicking on one
of the 5,941 Google Ads served during the reporting period.

"Join Us" Ad Campaign

And finally,

Here in the U.S., November is our traditional time of
Thanksgiving. So, I want to wish all of our members and their families,
especially those in the U.S., a Happy Thanksgiving. May you have all have
much to be thankful for!

Karen Dalton Preston
North American Secretary

Thank you to all who have NOT contributed
to the November 2012 issue of "Daltons in History".
It's about time you did!

Please send me any ideas you
may have for future articles or areas of research we could look at. New
ideas are definitely needed!!

Please consider contributing
a short description of any Dalton-related travels you may have undertaken
anywhere in the world. Also members who are travelling to do research,
visit a Dalton-connected site, or have made a connection to a distant
cousin through the DGS. might be interested in letting other members know
what they are doing through "Daltons in History".
Photos from your travels would be appreciated. Also, it would be a way
of helping members get to know each other a little better, and might help
members who are widely dispersed geographically to feel a bit more connected.

Contributions for the December 2012 issue
need to be with me no later than 25th November, 2012. (e-mail: dairneirwin@ntlworld.com).

Please continue to stick to the set deadlines!!
There is no excuse for missing the deadline - PLAN AHEAD!!